Description

This title covers one ot the defining periods of European history. The series of wars between the Classical Greeks and the Persian Empire produced the famous battles of Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis, as well as the ill-fated attempt to overthrow the Persian king in 400 BC, which helped to inspire the conquests of Alexander the Great. To tell the story of these momentous events, of the lives of great men and women, of the societies and cultures that produced them and to explain how and why they came into conflict was the aim of Herodotus, "the Father of History", whose account of the wars is our principal source and the first book to be called a "history".show more

Review quote

"I am most favorably impressed by the Essential Histories series on the American Civil War. Written by four of the best historians of the military course of the war, these volumes provide a lucid and concise narrative of the campaigns in both the Eastern and Western theaters as well as penetrating analyses of strategies and leadership. Ideal for classroom use or fireside reading."show more

About Philip de Souza

Dr Philip de Souza FRHistS studied History and Classics at Royal Holloway College, London. He is the author of 'Piracy in the Graeco-Roman World' (Cambridge, 1999), plus numerous articles and essays on Greek and Roman history. He is a contributor to the forthcoming 'Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Warfare' and is currently finishing a book on Ancient Naval Warfare, to be published by Routledge. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Historical, Social and Cultural Studies at St Mary's College, University of Surrey, where he teaches ancient history, including a course on 'War and Society in the Ancient World'.show more

Table of contents

Introduction and Chronology; Background to war; Warring sides; Outbreak; The fighting; Portrait of a soldier; The world around war; Portrait of a civilian; How the war ended; Conclusion and consequencesshow more